University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, October 19
12:00 PM
University of Minnesota
0-0,0-0Big Ten
90
vs
65
Bemidji State
0-0,0-0NSIC
1
2
F
Bemidji St.
40
25
65
Minnesota
41
49
90
Team Stats
BSU
MINN
FG%
.365
.618
3FG%
.333
.500
FT%
.733
.448
RB
38
36
TO
13
8
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Gophers Open 2024-25 Season With Exhibition Win
10/19/2024 2:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mike Mitchell Jr. led all players with 19 points and tied for game-high honors with eight assists, Brennan Rigsby had 17 points, Dawson Garcia finished with 15 points, and Parker Fox added 14 points as Minnesota defeated Bemidji State, 90-65, in the first of two exhibition games for the Gophers at Williams Arena.
The Gophers pulled away from a one-point halftime lead by shooting 69.2 percent (18-of-26) in the second half. Mitchell Jr. made 7-of-13 field goals, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, to finish with his game-high point total. He tied Isaac Asuma (eight points, eight assists) with a game-high assist total. Rigsby was 3-of-6 from three-point range, and Minnesota was 9-of-18 from long-range as a team. Frank Mitchell led the Gophers with seven rebounds to go with six points.
Christian Koonce paced Bemidji State with 11 points, while Jalen Patterson was the only other player in double-figures for the Beavers with 10 points. The Beavers made 23-of-63 (.365) field goals and held a 38-36 rebounding advantage.
Minnesota opened the game by building a 7-2 lead behind five points from Garcia. The Beavers answered with a 6-2 run to cut the lead to one point, but five different Gophers scored as they built a 20-15 advantage with 11:05 remaining in the half. Bemidji countered with a 12-3 run to take a 27-23 lead with 8:59 left, but a three-point play by Mitchell Jr., a jumper in the lane from Garcia, and back-to-back three-pointers from Mitchell Jr. and Asuma helped reclaim a 34-31 edge for the Gophers. Minnesota made 16-of-29 (.552) first-half field goals to take a 41-40 lead to the locker room. Mitchell Jr. led the team with 10 points and four assists, while Garcia had nine points, Rigsby and Fox each added five points, and Mitchell had four points and a team-high four rebounds. Koonce led the Beavers with 11 points at the break.
The Gophers picked up the intensity on the defensive end to begin the second half, resulting in a 9-0 spurt and their largest lead, 50-40, which forced a BSU timeout at the 16:48 mark. Minnesota led, 59-49, at the second media timeout, with Fox leading the way with seven second-half points and Mitchell Jr. adding a pair of three-pointers. Another run, this time a 13-3 stretch for the Gophers, made it a 20-point lead at 72-52. Rigsby scored six points during the run on a three-point play followed by a deep three-pointer. The Gophers stretched the lead to 28 points late, before settling for the 25-point victory. Minnesota's hot shooting in the second half helped it finish 34-of-55 (.618) from the field, but they struggled at the free throw line where they were just 13-of-29 (.448). The Gophers had a 21-2 advantage in fast-break points, 9-1 edge in blocked shots, and had 23 assists to nine for the Beavers.
Minnesota plays its final exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 29, when it plays host to Hamline University for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff at Williams Arena. The Gophers open the regular season by playing host to Oral Roberts at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
The Gophers pulled away from a one-point halftime lead by shooting 69.2 percent (18-of-26) in the second half. Mitchell Jr. made 7-of-13 field goals, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, to finish with his game-high point total. He tied Isaac Asuma (eight points, eight assists) with a game-high assist total. Rigsby was 3-of-6 from three-point range, and Minnesota was 9-of-18 from long-range as a team. Frank Mitchell led the Gophers with seven rebounds to go with six points.
Christian Koonce paced Bemidji State with 11 points, while Jalen Patterson was the only other player in double-figures for the Beavers with 10 points. The Beavers made 23-of-63 (.365) field goals and held a 38-36 rebounding advantage.
Minnesota opened the game by building a 7-2 lead behind five points from Garcia. The Beavers answered with a 6-2 run to cut the lead to one point, but five different Gophers scored as they built a 20-15 advantage with 11:05 remaining in the half. Bemidji countered with a 12-3 run to take a 27-23 lead with 8:59 left, but a three-point play by Mitchell Jr., a jumper in the lane from Garcia, and back-to-back three-pointers from Mitchell Jr. and Asuma helped reclaim a 34-31 edge for the Gophers. Minnesota made 16-of-29 (.552) first-half field goals to take a 41-40 lead to the locker room. Mitchell Jr. led the team with 10 points and four assists, while Garcia had nine points, Rigsby and Fox each added five points, and Mitchell had four points and a team-high four rebounds. Koonce led the Beavers with 11 points at the break.
The Gophers picked up the intensity on the defensive end to begin the second half, resulting in a 9-0 spurt and their largest lead, 50-40, which forced a BSU timeout at the 16:48 mark. Minnesota led, 59-49, at the second media timeout, with Fox leading the way with seven second-half points and Mitchell Jr. adding a pair of three-pointers. Another run, this time a 13-3 stretch for the Gophers, made it a 20-point lead at 72-52. Rigsby scored six points during the run on a three-point play followed by a deep three-pointer. The Gophers stretched the lead to 28 points late, before settling for the 25-point victory. Minnesota's hot shooting in the second half helped it finish 34-of-55 (.618) from the field, but they struggled at the free throw line where they were just 13-of-29 (.448). The Gophers had a 21-2 advantage in fast-break points, 9-1 edge in blocked shots, and had 23 assists to nine for the Beavers.
Minnesota plays its final exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 29, when it plays host to Hamline University for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff at Williams Arena. The Gophers open the regular season by playing host to Oral Roberts at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
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